1. Field
The present disclosure is directed to a method and apparatus for predictive, context-aware, and networked exposure time and UV ultraviolet Index monitoring. More particularly, the present disclosure is directed to ultraviolet index and exposure time monitoring and prediction based on context information and information obtained from a network.
2. Introduction
Presently, many people enjoy outdoor activities, such as hiking, skiing, soccer, beach volleyball, sporting events, festivals, picnics, and other outdoor activities. Even though people enjoy such outdoor activities, there is a growing consciousness of the dangers of overexposure to ultraviolet light from the sun. Such overexposure can result in sunburn and even skin cancer. These dangers conflict with a person's desire to engage in outdoor activities with the benefits of being outdoors. Such benefits can include exposure to fresh air, vitamin D from the sun, mitigation of seasonal affective disorder, exercise, and other benefits from outdoor activities.
To reduce the danger of overexposure to the sun a person may use an ultraviolet monitor device to keep track of exposure. Unfortunately, such devices only provide information based on current or past ultraviolet measurements. The current and past measurements may be inaccurate when conditions change. For example, a person engaging in an activity after receiving information based on past measurements may experience different conditions, such as weather, altitude, ground conditions, local environment, etc. These different conditions can dramatically increase the person's ultraviolet exposure, thus reducing permissible exposure time for the activity.
For example, a man may plan to ski for 5 hours. He can leave a ski lodge and use an ultraviolet monitor, which can notify him he has 6 hours of exposure time based on the sun protection factor of his sunscreen and based on his skin type. However, as he is lifted to the top of the ski mountain, the ultraviolet radiation can increase to the point of which permissible ultraviolet exposure time is only 1 hour. Therefore, he will dramatically increase the dangers of overexposure because his monitor gave him an inaccurate estimate.
Thus, there is a need for a method and apparatus for predictive, context-aware, and networked exposure time monitoring.